Sekisui Chemical Co. (Osaka, Japan; www.sekisuichemical.com) and INCJ, Ltd. have established a joint venture (JV) called Sekisui Bio Refinery Co. Ltd. with the aim of verification and commercialization of the technology converting combustible waste into ethanol using the microbial catalyst…
Sophisticated supercomputing systems can process massive numbers of calculations related to bioinformatics, epidemiology, and molecular modeling, and are expected to help scientists develop answers to complex scientific questions about COVID-19 in hours or days versus weeks or months. Now, some…
Mitsui Chemicals, Inc. (MCI; Tokyo; www.jp.mitsuichemicals.com) announced that it will establish a new plant within Osaka Works, Takaishi, Osaka Prefecture, to produce the APEL series of cyclic olefin copolymers. With its major application in smartphone camera lenses, APEL has seen…
When plants are built with excessive design margins, problems can arise when operating under turndown conditions. This article helps explain how overdesign tends to occur and how to avoid problems when operating at turndown Operating under turndown can be problematic,…
Air Liquide (Paris, France; www.airliquide.com) will invest close to €200 million to build production capacities in the Science Parks of Tainan and Hsinchu, respectively located in the South and the North of Taiwan. Under a long-term commitment with a semiconductor…
Axalta Coating Systems Ltd. (Philadelphia, Pa.; www.axaltacs.com) announced that it will supply E&R Powder Coating with more than 7,000 pounds of its Alesta AM antimicrobial powder coatings for bed frames at a temporary hospital at McCormick Place Convention Center in…
Ineos (London; www.ineos.com) and Plastic Energy announced a collaboration on the construction of a new plant to convert waste plastic into raw materials to make new plastic. Production of the new facility would be targeted for the end of 2023.…
Qatar Petroleum (QP; www.qp.com.qa) has announced the successful completion of the integration of petrochemicals manufacturer SEEF Ltd. (SEEF) into Qatar Petroleum ahead of the original deadline set at end of Q2, 2020. SEEF operates a linear alkyl benzene (LAB) plant…
The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI) for February 2020 (the most recent available) decreased slightly from the previous month’s value, with the values of the four major subindices comprising the CEPCI being mixed. While the Equipment…
Linde (Guildford, U.K.; www.linde.com) has started up a new air separation plant to supply industrial gases to Samsung Electronics' world-class semiconductor facilities in Pyeongtaek, South Korea. The start-up completes the first phase of Linde's largest single electronics investment to build,…